'Little People, Big World’ stars Zach and Tori Roloff under fire over abortion stance
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Zach and Tori Roloff, stars of the TLC show 'Little People, Big World,' recently faced intense criticism after discussing their views on abortion during an episode of their podcast, 'Raising Heights.' The conversation was sparked by their personal experience with a miscarriage. Tori, 33, opened up about the emotional impact of this loss.
“To me, when you get pregnant, that’s a baby, you know, and so when we lost that baby, it was like, we just lost a part of our family,” she explained. Although she didn’t specify the timing, she was likely referring to the miscarriage she experienced in March 2021, before they welcomed their third child.
The miscarriage significantly influenced Tori’s views on abortion. “Previous to this situation, I was very apolitical. But I think being in that room and being as traumatized as I was, it became black and white for me in that room,” she told her husband Zach in the podcast. “I’m not OK with this. Like, I would never choose to be in this room and I don’t understand how someone could choose to be in that room.”
Zach addressed specific scenarios such as pregnancies resulting from sexual assault but also made a controversial comparison. “If I go out and have beers at the bar and drink and drive, get in an accident, I’m going to jail, you know it’s a consequence I chose,” he said. “We don’t think about this, that the choice to have sex, that was the choice. We want to choose the consequence, the outcome.”
Their comments were met with significant backlash from fans, who took to social media to express their disappointment and anger. One user commented, “Just because you can't understand why someone would make that choice, doesn't mean you get to take away someone else's ability to make it. What was traumatizing for you may be traumatizing adversely for someone else - like being forced to go through with a pregnancy they do not want."
Another user highlighted the perceived hypocrisy, saying, “You literally receive healthcare by getting a D&C when you lose a baby. That’s on the table to be taken away when there’s an abortion ban. The hypocrisy is unsettling here.” "I respect your CHOICE. Respect ours," wrote another. "The lack of empathy is pretty impressive in this one," added another fan.
In response to the criticism, Tori clarified her stance in the comment section. “I 1000% see this point and in that aspect, I see where it is necessary. If you listen to the whole episode, you’ll realize that was not what I was talking about. I was talking about the women who choose to be in that room,” she explained.
She further emphasized that the podcast is a platform for them to speak about their passions, “I mean it is our podcast based solely on speaking what we are passionate about.”
How many kids do ‘Little People, Big World’ stars Tori and Zach Roloff have?
Zach and Tori married in 2015 and have three children: Jackson, Lilah, and Josiah. They have been open about their pregnancy loss before welcoming their third son, Josiah, in April 2022.
Zach and Tori's three children have achondroplasia, the most common form of short-limbed dwarfism. In a March 2023 episode of 'Little People, Big World,' Zach discussed helping Jackson navigate the challenges of dwarfism while playing soccer with his friends. Zach and Tori have also discussed the possibility of homeschooling their children on their podcast, 'Raising Heights.'
'Little People, Big World’ stars Tori Roloff shares ‘scary’ experience about her pregnancy loss
Before the birth of her third son, Tori experienced a frightening pregnancy loss that came unexpectedly. She took to Instagram to share her emotional story with fans. "We were so excited to share some exciting news this week. We were so excited when we found out we were expecting baby #3 and we couldn’t wait to share” wrote Tori on Instagram.
She added, “We went in for our first ultrasound at 8 weeks and found out that we lost our sweet baby two weeks earlier. I’ve honestly never felt loss like I did in that moment. I’ve never felt so sad, angry, and scared in a single moment. I had no symptoms of losing out sweet angel baby and nothing could have prepared me for hearing our sweet baby was gone."
She concluded, "However, I also thought about how the first face our little girl or boy got to see was Jesus. I’m so upset that I never got to see their face but I rest in knowing he or she is with our savior and I will meet them one day."
